Iced Out: Overachievers and underachievers at the break
Just over a week ago, hockey’s greatest talents descended on southern Florida for an unusually tropical rendition of NHL All-Star Weekend.
That means we’re over halfway through the NHL season and, with playoffs just three months away, we’ve seen enough hockey to gauge how much every team has, or has not, lived up to its preseason forecast. Here’s a deep dive into a team that fits into each of those categories.
The overachievers: Boston Bruins
Let’s start out on a positive note with who’s performing better than expected: Boston. You’d have a hard time finding a fan base happier right now than the Bruins faithful.
Last season, Boston clawed their way into the playoffs, finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference with 107 points. They faced off against the second-seeded Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round of the postseason and fell just short, losing by one goal in the seventh and final game of the series.
The offseason was filled with uncertainty for the Bruins, as they quickly fired Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, and longtime captain Patrice Bergeron contemplated retirement. The possible end of Bergeron’s playing career was also a reminder that the core who had carried Boston for over a decade was aging fast.
The Bruins took a risk and brought in Jim Montgomery to man the helm. He had held just one head coaching job before — he was fired after a single season, and later checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse. Since then, he had been serving as an assistant coach on the St. Louis Blues staff.
After Montgomery was introduced, Bergeron was brought back alongside fan-favorite David Krejci, both on one-year deals. With these deals, many labeled this season “The Last Dance,” as it would likely be the last chance for the remaining members of Boston’s 2011 Championship team to kiss the cup one final time.
No one expected the Bruins to be cup favorites, but that’s exactly what they have become. The team has been rolling since the first puck drop back in October. At the time of this writing, they firmly sit atop the entire NHL with a 39-8-5 record and 83 points. That’s right, they’ve taken the ice 52 times this season and have yet to suffer double digits regulation losses. It took until late January for them to lose a game in regulation at home!
Maybe the largest contributor to the Bruins’ success is David Pastrnak. Pastrnak is contending for the Hart trophy, the NHL’s MVP award. He’s fifth in the NHL in points with 72 and second in goals with 38.
Boston is the epitome of a team clicking on all cylinders, as Montgomery, a Coach of the Year Favorite, has taken largely the same roster from last season and has them playing at a far superior level. People thought this team just caught lightning in a bottle to begin the season, but they’ve held that lightning all year.
The underachievers: Florida Panthers
The Panthers are one of the most interesting teams in the NHL. Last year, they came out of nowhere and dominated en route to the President’s Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best regular season team, with a 58-18-6 record adding up to a whopping 122 points. There is a common notion in the hockey world that the squad that hoists the President’s Trophy often isn’t able to do the same with the Stanley Cup. This rang true for Florida.
They were a highly exciting team during the regular season, often competing in high-scoring affairs. The Panthers led the league in goals and shots per game with 4.11 and 37.34 respectively. Despite last year’s playoffs having an abnormal abundance of goals, their offensive aptitude did not help them much in the postseason.
After taking care of business against the Washington Capitals in the first round, the Panthers were swept in embarrassing fashion by the Tampa Bay Lightning, their in-state rival. Florida was thoroughly out-classed in the second-round series, as the reigning champions showed them what playoff hockey really means.
Despite having the main stars on their roster returning to the team for this season, Florida was not satisfied and made a splash in free agency. The Panthers traded for and signed Matthew Tkachuk to an eight-year $76 million contract. Tkachuk, the MVP of the recent All-Star game, is not only a highly-skilled player but a bonafide hothead. He won’t let anyone disrespect or cheap-shot his team and is ready to drop the gloves at all times. The Panthers likely hoped that he could bring some toughness to a lineup that showed a lack of it in last year’s playoffs.
While people still had their doubts, almost everyone still had the Panthers cemented as a top ten team entering this season. As it currently stands, Florida is clinging to Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, just two points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres.
Florida has a 26-23-6 record for 58 points, which is quite disappointing for a squad that ran away with the President’s Trophy last season. Similar to last year, they have no shortage of scoring, currently sitting at 6th in the NHL with 3.47 goals per game. However, a defense that was passable last year has taken a step down. The Panthers are 10th worst in goals allowed per game with 3.44 and 12th worst in save percentage with .902.
Simply put, their defense is not good enough to be carried by the offense anymore. Last year, their offense was out-of-this-world, allowed them to mask their defensive struggles until playoff time. This year, they have not been afforded the same luxury.
So, now, not only do you know the puck lingo, but you should now be able to give an in-depth analysis on two of the NHL’s most fascinating teams.
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Kyle Frankel is a sophomore writing about the unique elements and storylines of ice hockey, while passing along some puck knowledge in his column, “Iced Out.”